


bobbing for apples

by Anonymous



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mind Control Aftermath & Recovery, for vivi, has nothing to do with bobbling for apples it's a metaphor, manburg radios au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 21:00:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29814318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: after the final battle between schlatt and the heroes, who's to pick up the pieces of what's left?*based on manburg-radios on tumblr*
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity & Karl Jacobs
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7
Collections: Anonymous





	bobbing for apples

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ARSONjST](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ARSONjST/gifts).



> happy birthday vivi! i really admire your writing, particularly with manburg-radios and I absolutely adore the community that has come from the discord. you deserve a really good day today, and I hope you get all you wanted! 
> 
> no, I'm not telling you who i am in case you think this is cringe. i am in the discord. that's your only clue.

Somehow, the gentle, warm breeze felt... wrong against his skin after everything they had gone through. However gentle the wind was, it felt like knives and rough sandpaper to his numb face. The midday sunlight seemed to blind his eyes, despite the shady tree he had taken refuge under. Even the sweet, summer taste of the apple in his hands tasted rotten. Yet, the cheers and joyful laughter coming from his friends couldn’t break Quackity out of his thoughts.

And logically, he knew he shouldn’t be sad. Schlatt had done so many awful things to both him and everyone he’s come to care for, but that was it, wasn’t it? His state of mind wasn’t exactly the best after all the manipulation.

Still… he had worked with him for so long that he was bound to get attached in a weird way. He mused on the earlier days of their partnership, when he would help Schlatt get out of some minor legal troubles. It was fine, and they always shared a small laugh afterwards, but it felt so… forced, looking back on it.

Slowly, it had snowballed into bribing a judge almost every other week and spending late nights forging documents. To be honest, Quackity wasn’t proud of it. It went against everything he stood for, but he couldn’t pretend he couldn’t see after Schlatt took office.

Then, everything turned into a blur as he sludged through his day-to-day. Between the bouts of mind control, he felt like he was on a thin tightrope. He was dizzy and confused and he didn’t even want to  _ think _ about what he did under Schlatt’s control. It was a horrible, horrible time.

If he was going to be entirely honest, he felt so incredibly lucky to have been-- would kidnapped be the right word?-- by the Manburg heroes. Without them, he wasn’t sure he would’ve ever recovered from everything that happened. Even though Quackity was sure one of them knocked him out. He was pretty sure it was Techno, he was scary enough. Probably.

Still. His life changed for the better, he got to reunite with Karl and some of his old friends and met new ones. He had a much better support system and he was on the slow road to recovery. It was going to be slow and strenuous, that much was obvious. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered if there would be any side-effects from long-term mind control. Maybe his brainwaves? Who knew?

“Hey! Come over here!” He looked up to see Karl waving him over, from where he was sitting with a few others by some rubble from the battle. Evidently, they gave up on their cleaning efforts.

Standing up, Quackity dusted some grass off of his pants and wiped off some of the dust gathered on his apple. He jogged over to them, steadily ignoring the destroyed statue laying a few feet away.

Karl smiled up at him, his iconic sweater tied around his waist,”We were discussin’ what we were gonna do now, I said I’m gonna try to clean up this place. I mean, look at!” He gestured around them at the former battleground,”It’s ugly. I mean, I’m sure it looked good before the whole superpower fight against a dictator thing, but you can’t lie that it’s gotta have some work done on it.”

Sniggering, Quackity flopped down next to him,”I dunno; I think the crater could be a nice decoration. No better way to celebrate the death of a fuckin’ dictator, am I right?” His throat threatened to close up, but he ignored it in favor of staring up at the pink and orange clouds above them.

Rolling his eyes, Karl asked sarcastically,”Well, what are you gonna do then? Use your lawyer money to become Batman?” He sputtered when Quackity pushed his shoulder, causing him to fall over.

He thought about it for a moment, though,”We need some new infrastructure. And we need to do something about Schlatt’s vials, I guess. Everything’s just pretty shitty right now.” He shrugged,”I’m the only lawyer here, so there’s bound to be something to do. We didn’t commit any war crimes in the Arctic, right?”

The other just snorted,”When  _ don’t _ we commit war crimes? But yeah, you’re right. Things are wack.” He stared off into the fading sunset,”We’ll still be friends, right Quackity?”

Startled by the use of his name, he sat up to look at Karl,”You’re not getting rid of me that easy, if you’re asking.” He narrowed his eyes,”Why?”

“Well,” Karl started, playing with the strings of his hoodie,”You just cut off, like, all contact when you got into all of that lawyer stuff. Who’s gonna say it’s not gonna happen again?”   
  


The lawyer joined his line of sight into where the pinks of the sky had bled into purple,”Me. I’m saying it’s not going to happen again. Ever.”

There’s something to be said about losing someone who didn’t care about you, but gaining so many people who would fight to stay by your side.

Quackity took a bite into his apple.

This time, it was sweeter than anything he had ever tasted.


End file.
